A Terrified Nation

The days following the attempted Christmas 2009 bombing on a plane highlighted how effective terrorism really is.  People were not allowed out of their seats.  They had to keep their hands in plain site etc.  A man of no consequence (if there is such a thing) affected the lives of millions.

So he won.

I fly about 150,000 miles a year so I know what I see.  We are puppets that respond to whatever music the terrorists play.

They try to explode a shoe and now I have to take off my shoes.

They try to bring on liquids so now I have to bag my liquids in small portions.  I cannot even go through security with an unopened can of soda.  It's as if they think I may have a machine at home that can seal a can of Pepsi with a bomb inside of it.

I can bring a 5 pound hogi sandwich but not a 4 oz clear bottle of water.  I can bring on several tubes of gel, all of which are less than 3 oz and I can bring an empty container to mix them all together, but I can mix them together before I go through security.

I heard someone say that if the Christmas bomber had been singing "Happy Birthday" as he tried to blow up his underpants, we would have made music illegal on planes.

This worthless effort is offensive to me.  I have the little extra time it takes to put up with all of the precautions now in place at airport security.  What I don't have is the fear that makes our leaders initiate and maintain such practices.

Here is the true problem:  Politicians know that these practices are nothing more than political theater.  At the same time, they don't want to be seen as to be doing nothing.  Once a policy is in place, it is there forever.  No politician wants to be the one that lets soda through security and then have a can of Pepsi bring down a plane sometime in the future.

The way to fight terrorism it two fold.  First, find out what makes them want to do these things and try to eliminate that issue.  If they terrorize because they are hopeless, then give them hope.  This can't possibly cost more than we waste now on pretend solutions.  Secondly, don't be afraid.

We, as a people, should stand up and say "I am not afraid of you."

I am not saying that we should get rid of all airport security.  I am saying that we should eliminate the practice of reacting to the puppet strings the terrorists are pulling.

I believe that ZERO lives have been saved by the hundreds of millions of shoes that have been sent through airport screening.

Our politicians are cowards.  I recommend everyone send an email to their representatives in congress with the simple message of "I am not afraid."

The only problem with this is, if you refuse to be afraid, then the GOP loses its only platform.